Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ebene

For one person, living is cheaper in Ebene: $697 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ebene, Mauritius
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Ebene
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$697
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ebene

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Ebene actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $697 in Ebene, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Ebene $697

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,197 in Ebene, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Ebene $1,197

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,696 in Ebene, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Ebene $1,696

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Ebene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Ebene are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ebene 49% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$5.88 MUR 277
-61.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$31.88 MUR 1,502
-40.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$6.22 MUR 293
-10.77%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$2.57 MUR 121
-35.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$0.84 MUR 39.82
-23.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$0.52 MUR 24.32
-40.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$1.82 MUR 85.8
29.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.61 MUR 123
40.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$1.47 MUR 69.1
32.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.46
$0.73 MUR 34.49
97.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.03
$1.12 MUR 52.6
18.75%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$2.23 MUR 105
2.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$8.69 MUR 410
89.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$6.18 MUR 292
-55.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$10.49 MUR 494
-11.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$1.77 MUR 83.6
32.77%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.79
$1.20 MUR 56.4
-19.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.43 MUR 67.5
11.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.49 MUR 118
-39.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.11
$0.98 MUR 46.27
30.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.18
$0.97 MUR 45.63
13.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$0.74 MUR 34.99
-4.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.51 MUR 24.21
-3.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$5.71 MUR 269
-27.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$8.68 MUR 409
101.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.70 MUR 80.1
-5.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$2.66 MUR 126
4.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.30
$0.87 MUR 40.93
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.04
$4.34 MUR 204
-73.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$3.27 MUR 154
-83.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$21.43 MUR 1,010
-88.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.88
$1.36 MUR 63.9
6.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.5K
$37.1K MUR 1.7M
-43.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.0K
$30.7K MUR 1.4M
-12.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$44.82 MUR 2,112
38.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$10.77 MUR 508
13.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$29.75 MUR 1,402
-32.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$28.79 MUR 1,357
29.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$6.23 MUR 294
-39.49%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$5.70 MUR 269
13.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$130 MUR 6,104
468.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.2K
$7,685 MUR 362.2K
92.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$44.20 MUR 2,083
20.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$42.78 MUR 2,016
-42.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$47.36 MUR 2,232
93.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,427
$47.29 MUR 2,229
52.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$256 MUR 12.0K
88.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$146 MUR 6,876
111.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$582 MUR 27.4K
72.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$421 MUR 19.8K
50.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Ebene
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$1,146 MUR 54.0K
-48.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.67
-16.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ebene: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Ebene
$146 52.8% $163
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Ebene
$203 13.3% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Ebene
$82 24.8% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Ebene
$85 9.7% $9.1
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Ebene
$116 49.9% $39
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Ebene
$24 * 60.7% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Ebene
$40 20.1% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $256 in Ebene. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Ebene, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Ebene. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $203 in Ebene – so Ebene wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇲🇺 Ebene
🕒 Local time
07:47 7:47 AM
04:47 4:47 AM
3 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
1,001
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Ebene 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Ebene

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Chiang Mai vs Ebene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Ebene?
Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Ebene, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Ebene?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,045 in Ebene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Ebene?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ebene, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Ebene?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $32 in Ebene. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Ebene?
Groceries cost about 15% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Ebene – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Ebene?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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